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George Wythe McCook
|died= |image= |caption= |placeofbirth= Canonsburg, Pennsylvania |placeofdeath= Steubenville, Ohio |placeofburial=Union Cemetery, Steubenville |allegiance= United States of America Union |branch= United States Army Union Army |serviceyears= 1846-1848 (U.S. Army) 1861–66 (Union Army) |rank= Colonel; Ohio Adjutant General |commands= 2nd Ohio Infantry 157th Ohio Infantry Fort Delaware |battles= Mexican-American War American Civil War |relations=Fighting McCooks }} George Wythe McCook (November 21, 1821 – December 28, 1877) was a lawyer, politician, and soldier from the state of Ohio in the United States. He was the Ohio Attorney General and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was a member of the famed Fighting McCooks, a prominent military family that contributed more than a dozen officers to the war effort. Early life and career McCook was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, the son of a local attorney, Daniel McCook and Martha Latimer McCook. He was one of an evantual twelve children (nine boys and three girls). In 1826 the family moved to New Lisbon, Ohio, and then to Carrollton. He graduated from Ohio University and subsequently studied law with Edwin M. Stanton, and afterward became his partner. He served as an officer in the 3rd Ohio Infantry Regiment throughout the Mexican War, and returned from the war as its commander.Appleton's Cyclopedia. Retrieved 2008-10-20 He was the Attorney General of Ohio from 1854–1856 and edited the first volume of the "Ohio State Reports." During his term in office, McCook specialized in railroad law. His skill in this area was noticed by the Steubenville & Indiana Railroad Company, and after his term ended, the company sent him to Europe on legal business.Office of the Ohio Attorney General Retrieved 2008-10-20 McCook was a delegate to the 1860 Democratic National Convention in Charleston, South Carolina. Civil War service At the war's outset, McCook was one of the first four brigadier generals selected by the Governor of Ohio to command the troops from that state, but, because of impaired health from his Mexican service, McCook was prevented from accepting that post. Later, he was appointed as the lieutenant colonel of the 2nd Ohio Infantry, and spent much of the war recruiting volunteers for several new regiments. He was named by Governor William Dennison as the Ohio Adjutant General. Later, he accepted an appointment as the colonel of the 157th Ohio Infantry, Hundred Days Regiment. He commanded the prisoner-of-war camp at Fort Delaware.Cincinnati Civil War Round Table Retrieved 2008-10-20. At the end of the war, he received the brevet rank of brigadier general, dating from March 13, 1865. Postbellum career After the war, McCook resumed his legal practice and political career. In 1871 he was the Democratic candidate for governor of Ohio. However, he lost to another former Union Army officer, Col. Edward F. Noyes, by more than twenty thousand votes. He, with the Rev. Dr. Charles Beatty, were the largest contributors to the erection of the Second Presbyterian Church at Steubenville, Ohio, of which he was a trustee.Carroll County, Ohio, history webpage Retrieved 2008-10-20 McCook died in Steubenville and is buried in Union Cemetery.The Political Graveyard Retrieved 2008-10-20 See also *List of Ohio's American Civil War generals References * Notes Category:1821 births Category:1877 deaths Category:People from Washington County, Pennsylvania Category:People from Columbiana County, Ohio Category:Union Army officers Category:People of Ohio in the American Civil War Category:United States Army officers Category:American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Category:McCook family Category:Ohio lawyers Category:Ohio Democrats Category:Ohio Attorneys General Category:Ohio University alumni